Bombadil

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About Bombadil

Bombadil, the quirky, sophisticated and obsessively creative North Carolina-based band whose music one reviewer called "obtuse but melodic indie folk pop with a flair for the fantastic," has headed out on the road for its first full-on tour in three years.

Bombadil - James Philips (drums), Stuart Robinson (piano, ukulele) and Daniel Michalak (bass, piano, harmonica) - have been sidelined for much of the past three years due to a debilitating nerve injury sustained by Michalak that affected the use of his hands. In 2009, Bombadil was gaining quite a bit of traction with the scheduled release of Tarpits and Canyonlands ("the album that should have made them famous," said one journalist), a quirky and dynamic live show, and slots on Bonnaroo, FloydFest, Shakori Hills, Pickathon and other festivals. But all that dissipated when Michalak's condition deteriorated to the point where he was unable to feed himself, much less play 200 shows a year. By the time Tarpits and Canyonlands was released, Bombadil was already off the road and unable to tour.

Michalak spent the last couple of years searching for a cure, trying everything from acupuncture to orthopedists to neurologists to Rolfing, and his hands have improved to the point where he's able to tour again. Bombadil, the band named after an obscure character in the Tolkien universe, whose music tells tales of loneliness, heartache, awkwardness, puppy love, suicide and murder-by-drowning, is back.